Planoorapii co



R. C. LEITCH.

GRAIN CAR DOOR. APPLICATION FILED 050.14.1911.

Patented July 8, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

attains THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM 60-. WASmNdToN. D. c

R. C. LEITCH.

GRAIN CAR-DOOR.

APPLICATION FILEDDEC. :4. I917.

Patented July 8, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

EQEEEEEIIIIIII' "rm! coLuMalA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D- c.

R. C. LEITCH.

GRAIN CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED 05c. 14. 1917.

Patented July 8, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Wibnm Mum THB COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPII cm, WASHINGTON, D. c.

Be it knownthat I,;ROY

nor omrnonnrinrrcn; ornnw'ron, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR or onn nren rrr 'ro CHARLES nBLAcmvr N, or nonen CITY, KANSAS,

AND ONE-EIGHTH T WM. PETERS AND QN E- EIGHTH o PURCELL, BoTHor NEWTON, KANSAS.

To all-whom it may. concern G. Lnrrcn, a c1t1- -Zen of the United States, and a resident of N6W13OI],1I1 the. county of Harvey and State proveme'nti cars doors,

' 7 portion of of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Grain-Car Doors, of which the "following is. a specification.

My present invention relates generally to more particularlyto grain car doors, my primary object being the provision of a simple, strong and durable construction conforming fully to the requirements. of'a door of this character; capable I I of effective manipulation for the usual purposes, and capable of ready movement to and from operative position. The above andvarious other objects of my present construction will bezapparent from the following detailed description, referring to the accompanying "drawings,'f-orming a part of this speclficatlon, and wherein: -Figure 1 1s anelevatlon looking at the outsideofa grain ear equipped with my im- -Fig.'2 's an inside elevation with the door ininoperative position. I V ':*Fig. 3 is a view partly inelevation and partly in vertical section, of a fragmentary my improved door. Fig. 4 is: a detailseetion'taken substantially on line H of Fig.1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section taken I substantially on line'5-'5of Fig. 1.

ing, having vertically intermediatethe' p 5 0 Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section taken on line 6- 6 of Fig. 5, and a i Fig. 7 is a detail horizontal section taken on line 7'7 of Fig. 6. j

Referring now to these figures, and partieularly to Figs. 1, 2, 5', and 7 my improvements areutilized inconnection with the inner "portion ofthe door opening 10 of a 'grain car 11, the frame of which includes door posts 12 at opposite sides of the openextending ribs 13 at 'the' insideiofthe car, one of which is partieularly'seen in Fig. 7, and also provided l with aperture's 14 in their opposing faces at opposite sid'es of the "door opening 10 and and lower ends thereof. The car frame also includes the usual sill 15 which I providewith a flat Sill plate 16 whose'rear'edge terminates substantially in the plane of theinner faces of the ribs 13,

well 'as a beam 17 extending across the GRAIN-GAR DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 1919.;

Application filed December 14, 1917. Serial No. 207,136;

upper end of the door opening and known asthe door plate, the latter having supporting bearings 18 at its inner face for a horizontally disposed supporting rod19, extend; ing not only above the door opening at the inner side thereof, but having a portion 19, as particularly seen in Fig. 2, which projects materially to one side of the door opening adjacent the upper portion of a frame 20 formed upon the innersurface of the ear side at one side of its door opening for the reception of my improved grain door in its lnoperative position.

My improved grain door is adjustably supported by means of depending T-shaped hanger bars 21 which in the operative position of the door as seen in Fig. 1, are equidistantly spaced from one another and from the opposite sides of the door opening 10, or substantially so, the upper ends of these hanger .bars 21being rigidly secured to a horizontally disposed hanger beam 22, the latter having at its opposite ends roller mounted brackets 23, engaging and shiftable upon the supporting rod 19 so that the door may be readily moved by the means stated, from its'operative position as seen in Fig. 1, to its inoperative'position as seen in Fig. 2, and vice versa.

'It will be noted by particular reference to'Fig. 5, that the supporting rod 19 is so spaced from the inner surface of the door plate 17 and the hanger beam 22 and bars 21 so proportioned and connected that when the door is in its operative position as shown inthe figure mentioned, the upper ends of these hanger bars 21 are disposed and held against the inner surface of the car plate and effectively braced by virtue of their contact therewith, for a purpose which will presently be made plain.

The main or body portion 21 of my improved grain door is preferably formed of asingle piece of Sheet material adapted to extending angle bars 26 secured therealong in spaced relation to the flanges 25 to en gage the opposite or inner sides of the said ribs '13, said angle bars 26 having apertures at certain points to register with the apertures 14 of the ribs 13 before mentioned, when the door is in the operative position as seen in Fig. 1, for the reception of the upper angular ends of locking dogs 27 one of which is plainly seen in operative position, in full line in Fig. 6, each of these; dogs having a V-shaped recess 28 in its upper end automatically engageable by the free end of a controlling lever 29. Each of the dogs 27 and its controlling a lever 29 are respeotively pivoted at 30 and 31 to the door 24, and have handles 32 and 33 by means of which they may be manipulated, it being observed that with its lever 29 depending into engagement with the dog 27, as it does normally, 1no.vement of the said dog -to the operative position shown in Fig. 6 will serve to elevate the free end of the respective lever 29 until the dog reaches its operative position, at which time the free end of the lever drops into the V-shaped recess so as to hold the dog in its operative position against any danger of accidental displacement due, for instance, to the vibra tion ofthe car in connection with which my improvements are utilized.

In addition to the bracing effect the vertical flanges 25 and angle bars 26- have upon the body 24 of the door provided by my invention, the latter further has spaced pairs of parallel guide bars 34 which it will be noted, extend the full height of the .doorand are open to receive the hanger bars 21, the latter interfitting the spaces between the guide bars 34 'of'each pair so that, considering the bearing the upper ends of the hanger bars 21 have against the door plate 17 in the operative position of the door, and the engagement of the lower portions of these hanger bars Within the guide bars 34 of the door 24, it is obvious that in operative position, rigid braces are thus provided vertically of the door in its operative position equi-distantly spaced from one another and from. thesides of the door opening so as to further enable the door to. successfully resist the weight of the grain within the car.

The lower outer portions of the hanger bars 21 projecting beyond the guide bars 34, as best seen in Fig. 4, have their inner opposing faces formed with longitudinal racks 35, and their outer opposite faces formed with a vertical series of ratchet teeth 36, the latter engageable by means of dogs 37 as seen in Fig. 3, pivoted within brackets 38 upon the door beyond opposite sides of the pairs of guide bars 34, so that the door may be supported in elevated position with these dogs 37 in operative position, for instance at the height shown in the inoperative position in Fig. 2 with the door shifted inside the car and to one side of the car opening and disposed within. the

frame 20.

. Each of the ratchet engaging dogs 37 has a handle 39 and may beheldin the inoperative position shown in dottedlines. at. the

right in Fig. 1, by meanshof a small lever 40, pivoted at 41 and provided at its opposite endwith a handle 42, each lever having a limited movement in one direction against a stop 43,- so as to hold the same .in a position ready to drop beneath thehandle portion of the respective dog 37 at all times, should the latter be raised, in order to prevent full operative movement of the dogin' .wardly to engage its respective.- ratchet teeth 36.

Intermediate the upper andlower; ends of the door 24, a gear casing 44 is secured thereto transversely between the spaced pairs of guide bars 34, as best seen in Figs-1, 3, and 4, the cover plate 45 of which gear casing has laterally spaced openings forming bearings for the hub portions 46*of a pair ofxintermeshin'g gears 47 and 48, said hub portions being, preferably provided with squared sockets 49 for the reception-of a suitable tool, which by its application to either] gear obviously brings about rotation of both gears, due to theirenga'gement.

' zThe gears 47 and 48. are respectively in I rack 35 of one of the hanger bars 21, so

that upon rotation 'of either of the gear wheels 47 and 48, similar. .bearing is had upon the hanger bars 21 so as to either raise or loWer the door in a truly. vertical direction and avoid undue friction upon those portions thereoffin slidable engagement with the adjacent portions of the door frame. The door 24 :may have lower side vertically sliding trap doors 52 and 53v as seen in Fig. 1, and may also have handles 54 by which it may be shifted 'verticallyxwhen there is no 'pressurethereagainst. The door may also have a lower centrally disposed and vertically shiftable latch member 55., manipulated from the'innerface thereof and having a handle 56 as seen in Fig. 2, for engagement with -a suitable keeper as seen in dotted lines in connection with the frame 20, so thatthe door may be latched Within the said frame in inoperative :position In addition to the vertical: bracing of-the door 24-aspreviouslydescribed, it is furthe angular side arms60of the-door secby horizontal ribs 61, has a pair of pivoted catches 62 suitably spaced so that with the door section, in its upper operative position as shown in Fig. 1, these catches engage the inner portions of the hanger bars 21 to 1 upper hinged section cidental displacement to 15' '58 folded inwardly before the lock the door section 58 and prevent its acthe lower inoperative position shown in Fig. 2, where it is folded against the inner face of the door 2A.

In the operative position of the door, the 58 will not always be needed, but where it is in the operative position as shown in the figure mentioned, the catches 62 are released, and the door section door 24 is shifted to inoperative position. The locking dogs 27 are then released and, with the ratchet dogs 37 in operative engagement with the. racks, a squared crank of any suitable nature is applied to one of the squared sockets 49, the gears being turned in that direction necessary to elevate the door 24 by virtue of'engagement of the gears Within the gear case, with the gear racks of the hanger bars 21. When the door 24 has been elevated to the height shown in Fig. 2, the ratchet dogs 37 supporting the door in elevated position, the door is shifted laterally upon the supporting rod 19 by virtue of its movable engagement therewith, and previous to which the door is swung inwardly a i slight distance, in order to clear the rib 13 at one slde of the door, carrying the same into registering position with the frame 20 upon the inner face of the adjacent car side, into which the door is secured by the catch so as to secure the door in inoperative position and in this way obviate danger of its injury while unsecured at the door opening. In the operativeposition of the door 2 L,

its lower edge abuts the inner edge of the sill plate 16 and thus in consideration of the particular bracing of the door as previously described, it is obvious that my invention provides a strong, durable construction well calculated to withstand the heavy weight of car pressing outwardly thereagainst in use, and one which may at the same time be readily manipulated, as described.

I claim:

1. Thecombination with a door frame including an upper door plate, of a door engaging the inner face of the frame and having its body provided with spaced pairs of gulde bars extending vertically along one face thereof, and suspension means for the said door including vertically projecting hanger bars, each of which has its lower end extending between the guide bars of one of the said pair of the guide bars of the door in the lowermost position of the latter, said hanger bars having their upper ends engaging the inner surface of the door plate in operative position, and said hanger bars and said guide bars being spaced from the sides of the door frame so as to cooperate with one another and form vertical braces for the door body in closed position.

2. The combination with a door frame including an upper door plate, of a grain door arranged to engage the inner sides of the frame and having pairs of vertically extending parallel guide bars forming guide channels between them, and extending substantially the full height of the door, and suspension means for the door including vertically disposed hanger bars, the upper ends ofwhich engage the door plate when the door is closed and the lower ends of which extend into the guide channels formed by said guide bars when the door is in lowermost position, said guide bars and said hanger bars being equi distantly spaced from one another and from the sides of the frame.

3. A grain car door having vertically eX- tending guide channels, vertical hanger bars the lower portions of which extend into the said guide channels and have opposing rack faces, a gear casing carried by the door and extendin between the said hanger bars, and gears within the casing in engagement with one another and with both of the said guide bar racks, certain of said gears having tool engaging means and being located adjacent relatively opposite sides of the gear casing, for the purpose described.

ROY CLIFFORD LEITCH.

Witnesses W. J. RIoH, W. P. BALL.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for, five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

